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[DarkRex]

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT THE NEW TELLTALE GAME JURASSIC PARK: THE GAME






For years I’ve been waiting. Waiting for something to come along and give me that thrill; give me that excitement; give me that wonder that I had as a little kid watching the dinosaurs roam around a theme park over the TV screen. Years. The last Jurassic Park film was released in 2011, a decade ago. Even in Jurassic Park 3 through, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park for that matter the magic was sporadic and covered by lack of story.
Since Jurassic Park 3 there have been games, books, and comics as of late that have tried to relive the magic that was so special to the first Jurassic Park and most had failed (especially in the comics division.)
Then comes Telltale, announcing that they are to make a new Jurassic Park game. The first one since Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (not counting the DVD game that came out in 2005.) And not only would this game be Jurassic Park… it would be a spinoff of the first film, the film that most (if not everyone) considers the best film in the franchise. I remember being shocked and bewildered when this was announced. Telltale was a fairly unheard of gaming company for me. All I knew them from was ads for some cartoony games I had seen before. That’s it. So when it was announced that THEY had the rights to Jurassic Park I wasn’t quite sure what to think.
Then comes this trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiroJ5K0Qwo

YEAH. You guys remember that? Oh my God I remember nearly crying (okay, slight exaggeration.) when I heard the Dino Crisis roar with the JP Tyrannosaur. I couldn’t figure out why they used the JP rex sounds for the E3 teaser for JP and then not have used it for the real game, cause come to find out early demos of it had the Dino Crisis roar as well. Oh. shite. It seemed like all Telltale was doing was slapping the JP logo on a plastic lunchbox and selling like so many companies had been doing to the Jurassic Park title.
Well Telltale got the message and put a second, fixed trailer right away and we were all happy. Or most of us seemed to be. Lots of gripes about the graphics seemed to end in TT pushing back the release of JP: TG for us. All the while they promised us a TRUE Jurassic Park experience. They promised us that it would be on par with the films (mainly the first) and that it would be canon, and amazing.
But was it? I finished it, just ten minutes ago (well, ten min up to this point of writing this review.) And I honestly sat and started at the computer for five of those minutes after the game was done.


They did it. Those crazy sons of bitches did it.
I’ll be honest and say it isn’t without flaw, but for me there is no denying that this may go down as the definitive Jurassic Park game (well, at least thus far.)
I’m not sure exactly what I should say. Most of my reviews start off with a summary but there is honestly so much to this game that it’s hard to describe things in detail without getting turned around. The basic story is Nima, a mercenary hired by Dodgson (who in theory works for BioSyn, although it’s never stated in the films) is sent to the island to retrieve the Barbasol can that has the dinosaur embryos in that Dennis Nedry stole before his demised in Jurassic Park. After getting attacked by a species of dinosaurs (or two) she’s stuck on the island, along with Gerry Harding (the vet for Jurassic Park,) his daughter Jess, and a scientist. A rescue team arrives and is quickly stuck on the island as well due to some dinosaur havoc and all the humans quickly meet up and have to survive on the island and look for a way to get off of Isla Nublar before… something bad happens that only the two remaining InGen military mercs know about.
And that really doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. The story in this game is actually incredibly well-crafted and is the thing that makes Jurassic Park: The Game shine. Telltale took their time, and did their research on not only the first film, but the whole franchise in order to make sure that every detail was nearly spot-on. In doing so they also discovered some personal leeway room that allows for them to add some of their own twists and turns into the story. Like the inclusion of Troodon, which we will talk more about later, and some minor elements from the book.
As stated before the story is one of the key elements of JP: The Game and that includes characters. I will admit that when starting the game I had an “uh-oh” feeling. Nima and Miles were simply annoying to begin with, and Gerry and Jess just felt bland. All of the characters that we knew we were supposed to identify with from the get go felt stock in the first fifteen minutes of game play, which gave me worry. We’ve had enough stock characters between The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 to last us a lifetime (and that’s not even getting into the comic book canon characters!) But after playing out a few different scenarios, we find out that that is not the case. We actually do gain somewhat of a concern for these characters by the end of episode one. Episode two introduces new faces with the InGen mercs, and here it goes again. Stock feeling characters. But just as in episode one we get a real feel for them eventually, and the cast as a whole gets flushed out really well by the end of the game. Some of the scenarios are cliché as are the way the characters handle them, but quite frankly I didn’t mind all that much.
I would like to say that all of the bad reviews I’ve read about Jurassic Park: The Game, in my opinion, can be chalked up to one detail: the reviewers were not true JP fans. The reviewers just aren’t seeing what the fans are seeing. Fans that have read the novels, and studied the films will be happy- without a doubt. There are too many references to not only the films, but the novels as well (which is what most fans have been crying out for from the get go: more novel nods.) Some of the characters in the novels that were a major part were nearly left out of the film, including Gerry Harding (the main focus I feel of Jurassic Park: The Game. It seems as though Gerry is another Ian Malcolm sort of character in the department of families, although he is just a workaholic we find out. Jess Harding, his daughter is sent to the island in hopes by her mother to wane away her kleptomaniac habits. The two get in a few spats over Gerry’s fathering abilities in the game (and there is even a mention of Sarah Harding being his daughter at one point (another thing JP fans have been wondering a long time, and another nod to the novels.))
The other characters get some good face time as well, mainly depending on what lines you choose to say. The gameplay for JP: The Game is something that works to the stories advantage or disadvantage depending on the gamer. If you go and don’t care about looking around or seeing other options or having conversations then you’re gonna get the minimal story. But this game actually allows you to interact with the characters in order to find out more about them and the events taking place around them.
I will admit that the game play gets jumbled from time to time. You really need to focus on what you’re doing, and at times there seems to be no real direction or instruction about how you’re supposed to go about something. I know this is a game with puzzles in it, but… jeeze. Even Batman: Arkham Asylum’s Riddler challenges had better hints half the time (yes, I’m using AA because I haven’t been lucky enough to have played Arkham City yet.) But when the controls get jumbled and you die: no biggie. Sometimes it’s almost as fun to watch the characters die as it is to watch them live. The great thing is you don’t have to go all the way to the beginning. You start off pretty much with the challenge you died with and just try it again. Eventually if you keep messing up, the third time it gets easier so that you can progress.
Now… for the dinosaurs. What is Jurassic Park without dinosaurs? Well Telltale did the research on these beasts, just as they did everything else. And not just with the films, but actual scientific research as well. I think that was almost even more enjoyable, to see and hear them spouting off real scientific knowledge of dinosaurs all the time that most people just wouldn’t understand. As a paleo student I couldn’t help but be giddy. And then you also add the fact that they are all correct to the films and it’s awesome. I’d probably say my biggest complaint was the fact that they used the “It can’t see you if you don’t move!” thing so often with the rex. Almost EVERY single time the rex appeared they were like “freeze.” It got to be a repetitive thing by the end. The other thing I may have wished for them to change was the use of Velociraptors. Now, I will give them this… I am glad they didn’t make the raptors another common enemy in the game that was around every turn like most dinosaur video games do, or even Jurassic Park 3. The problem was the fact that there was no buildup of the Velociraptors. The main concern of the game seemed to be the Troodons. They were the “new raptors” for Jurassic Park: The Game. Telltale built up the Troodons REALLY nice. They gave them that kind of prelude of creepy mystery and suspense that Jurassic Park and even The Lost World gave to the Velociraptors. The problem is when it actually came to the raptors, the poor dromeosaurs got shafted. There was no real suspense added to them other than the attack scenarios (which were good, I’ll give them that.) But when the raptors finally appeared the viewer/player was just supposed to be fearful automatically. I would have liked to seen some equal buildup of the raptors, and even some talk about them. The Velociraptors throughout the whole series have been built up to be one of the apex predators of the Jurassic Park islands. In Jurassic Park: The Game they were just kind of there for one part and never seen or heard from again. They weren’t treated as badly as the rex in Jurassic Park 3, but pretty close to it I feel. Gerry should have known that there were only three in the main pen, and he obviously saw some of them chewed up in the Visitor Center in episode one. If I was him I’d be like… “um, when in the Hell did these other four Velociraptors come from?” That and the rex vision thing, I think, were my two main complaints of the game. Other minor things like why are their the Pteranodon longiceps “hippocratesi” species on Nublar, and why weren’t Metriacanthosaur or Baryonyx mentioned or in the game are things that bother me… but only as a fan. They are not really problems with the game itself. I’ve been itching to see the other two large carnivores of Nublar for ages now.
The Troodons and mosasaur were amazing though. Suspenseful and creepy levels for the both of them. The Troodons, as many have stated, really remind me of the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Whether that’s intentional or not I don’t really care, because it worked amazingly. I have to say that the nest room for the Troodons actually made my skin crawl a little, which is pretty hard to do so kudos to Telltale. It was an ingenious and daring thing to do… and I feel it worked well, at least for me it did. The Troodons added a horror element back to Jurassic Park that hadn’t been around since the first film.
The soundtrack was amazing, but at times it was a little overpowering. I should tweek the levels a tad the next time I play it because out it. To hear all the old motifs (specifically the carnivore and danger motifs) and even some of the more subtle themes return was a real treat and it often put as big as smile on my face as hearing the JP rex roar did. And even the new music wasn’t bad either. It had a lot of the softer moment that reminded me of the “Petticoat lane” part from the first film. Even as I’m writing this I’m listening to the soundtrack (specifically the track Hopeless, which is one of my favorites) and I’m feeling moved by it, something Don Davis’ score for Jurassic Park 3 didn’t do much for me. And the suspense moments of the game were usually amplified my music that was just as suspenseful. Something that I noticed as well was the inclusion of some Lost World score, or at least something very much like it with some of the raptor scenes. Much of the raptor scenes in the parasaur paddock were scored like the raptor scenes from The Lost World. It worked nicely though. Other times I also thought I heard some music resembling The Lost World PS game as well as some of the first person shooter arcade games, but that could have just been me.
Errors with canon? I honestly can’t think of any outside Gerry’s apparent age moustache. But the beauty of it is Gerry was one of those tossed aside characters in the film, so this has the potential to be canon. Maybe the inclusion of raptors, which can be explained I’m sure by us fans (probably dealing with escaped raptors who laid eggs) although I do wish Telltale took the extra five min to explain it themselves.

I really don’t know what else to say about Jurassic Park: The Game. Well… I do, but I could be here for hours. It does have its flaws with some of the graphics and gameplay, but for story… the only one that comes close to touching this is the unfortunately uncanon Trespasser for PC. Jurassic Park: The Game excels in storytelling, and character development making it a must own, I feel, for any Jurassic Park fan. If a fourth Jurassic Park film was released with this much care for the story, I honestly would be a happy boy. Jurassic Park: The Game has beaten Jurassic Park 3 for me and maybe even The Lost World after one more play through. It’s impossible for it to beat the original Jurassic Park, but it comes in at the moment tied with TLW. It’s nostalgic, fun, and thrilling all at the same time. Minor errors aside this is the definitive Jurassic Park game; the best out of the bunch. Fans will be pleased with the inside references to not only the films but the novels, which there are plenty (including the fate of Isla Nublar.) The only question now is… has something survived?

After first play through I give Jurassic Park: The Game 7.5-8 out of 10

[KingKongLovesSymphony]

Excellent review of the game...but didn't Crichton SAY there were survivors in the first story? Not on the island, if I remember correctly, but on the mainland.
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Monsters! Sirens! Aliens! What's not to like?

[DarkRex]

Do you mean dinosaurs? Yes. It's heavily implied at the end of the novel that some species of dinosaurs (compsognathids and raptors at least) have escaped Nublar and are on the mainland. And at the begining of the novel there are several scenes with compys attacking small children.

[nexus423]

What about the aquatic Dinasaurs like the Mozasaur. That guy was supposed to destroy an entire ecosystem when released, but we never heard from him again.
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Very Interesting.
Okay to print

[DarkRex]

[nexus423]

That makes sense.
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Very Interesting.
Okay to print